8 years ago, during my master’s in International Management, I was introduced to a Japanese principle called Kaizen.
At its core, Kaizen says:
Instead of waiting for perfect conditions or chasing total reinvention, improve things step by step using what’s already available.
For a long time, I tried to “flip” my life in big, dramatic ways to create more good times. I pursued radical diets and fitness plans. I sold almost everything I owned and moved to a different continent. I even deleted WhatsApp for 4 years to remove outside voices so I could hear my own better.
Some of these choices were indeed incredibly game changing. They freed me from unnecessary weight and helped me move forward.
Others were overwhelming, and I couldn’t sustain the change for long.
The problem was, over time, whenever I felt something in my life needed to change, my mind automatically went to:
“It has to be a massive change with lots of things to pay attention to.”
That alone was often so overwhelming that I ended up doing… nothing.
When coaching ambitious professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, and parents, I see the same pattern:
- Big, ambitious changes sound inspiring
- But if they create too much pressure, people freeze
- And then nothing meaningful actually changes
The result: a lot of self-criticism and very little progress, while even more to-dos and the urge for big changes pile up.
In those moments, getting started with something small is far better than having a big change in mind that never becomes real.
When the pressure drops, action becomes easier.
When action becomes easier, momentum builds.
Over time, those small changes accumulate until larger shifts become possible without feeling forced.
Here’s a simple principle you can test today:
Choose one small change that supports you in creating more good times.
Do it consistently for a few weeks, until you don’t have to think about it anymore and it becomes your new normal.
For example:
- 30 seconds stepping outside in the morning before opening your inbox
- A 5‑minute pause between meetings instead of back-to-back calls
- One clear boundary around what's on your to do list vs. what’s not actually yours to take on
- A brief check-in message with a friend instead of assuming every conversation needs to be long
The key in Kaizen is consistency, not intensity.
Once that small change becomes natural through repetition, it stops costing you mental energy. It becomes a habit in service of “good times.” Over time, these habits compound, until at some point you may notice that the “big change” you thought required massive willpower is within your capacity to do now or has already happened quietly: without pressure, without overwhelm, and with much more ease.
To more good times,
Christian
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